Apparatus and Method for Prioritizing Communications Between Devices

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for prioritizing communications between devices are provided. According to one aspect, an interface device for providing communications between at least one source device and at least one destination device comprises an input, logic, and an output. The input of the interface device receives data in a first format from the source device. The logic identifies the destination device for receiving the data. The logic then identifies a second format compatible with the destination device and translates the data from the first format to the second format. Transmission of the translated data is then prioritized by the logic based on characteristics of the translated data, which may include the format of the translated data or a service plan associated with the destination device or source device. The translated data is then transmitted to the identified destination device via the output.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a Continuation of and claims priority toco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/323,185, entitled“Apparatus and Method for Prioritizing Communications Between Devices,”filed on Dec. 30, 2005, which is a Continuation-In-Part Application ofU.S. Pat. No. 7,194,083, entitled “System and Method for InterfacingPlain Old Telephone System (POTS) Devices with Cellular Networks,” filedon Jul. 15, 2002, each of which is herein incorporated by reference inits entirety.

This patent application is related to the following copending U.S.patent applications: U.S. Pat. No. 7,623,654, entitled “Systems andMethods for Interfacing Telephony Devices with Cellular and ComputerNetworks,” filed on Aug. 30, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 7,522,722, entitled“System and Method for Interfacing Plain Old Telephone System (POTS)Devices with Cellular Devices in Communication with a Cellular Network,”filed on Aug. 30, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 7,200,424, entitled “Systems andMethods for Restricting the Use and Movement of Telephony Devices,”filed on Aug. 30, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 7,623,653, entitled “Systems andMethods for Passing Through Alternative Network Device Features to PlainOld Telephone System (POTS) Devices,” filed on Aug. 30, 2004; U.S. Pat.No. 7,363,034, entitled “Cellular Docking Station,” filed on Dec. 30,2005; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/323,180, entitled “Apparatus,Method, and Computer-Readable Medium for Interfacing CommunicationsDevices,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005; U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/323,820, entitled “Apparatus, Method, and Computer-Readable Mediumfor Interfacing Devices with Communications Networks,” filed on Dec. 30,2005; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/323,825, entitled “Apparatusand Method for Providing a User Interface for FacilitatingCommunications Between Devices,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/323,181, entitled “Apparatus, Method, andComputer-Readable Medium for Securely Providing Communications BetweenDevices and Networks,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005, now abandoned; U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/324,034, entitled “Interface Devices forFacilitating Communications Between Devices and CommunicationsNetworks,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005; U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/323,182, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Providing Communicationsand Connection-Oriented Services to Devices,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005,now abandoned; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/324,149, entitled“Apparatus, Method, and Computer-Readable Medium for CommunicationBetween and Controlling Network Devices,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005, nowabandoned; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/323,186, entitled“Apparatus and Method for Aggregating and Accessing Data According toUser Information,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005; U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/324,033, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Restricting Access toData,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005, now abandoned; U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/323,818, entitled “Apparatus and Method for ProvidingEmergency and Alarm Communications,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005, nowabandoned; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/324,154, entitled“Apparatus and Method for Testing Communication Capabilities of Networksand Devices,” filed on Dec. 30, 2005. Each of the U.S. patentapplications listed in this section is herein incorporated by referencein its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The exemplary embodiments relate generally to telecommunications and,more particularly, to an apparatus and method for prioritizingcommunications between devices.

BACKGROUND

Emerging communications network protocols and solutions, such as Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) and WI-FI, allow individuals to use VoIPand WI-FI compatible devices to communicate with each other over widearea networks, such as the Internet, in the same manner in which theycurrently communicate over the Public Switched TelecommunicationsNetwork (PSTN). However, in most instances, owners of legacy devicessuch as cellular telephones and Plain Old Telephone System (POTS)devices which are compatible with cellular networks and the PSTN are notcapable of interfacing these devices to networks associated with theemerging communications network protocol and solutions. Thus, legacydevice owners are inconvenienced by having multiple devices that lackfunctionality with the emerging communications network protocols andsolutions. Owners of legacy devices cannot convert data sent via theemerging communications network protocols and solutions to formatscompatible with the legacy devices. Moreover, users cannot dictate whichdevices should receive data and in what format the devices shouldreceive the data. Users also cannot dictate a priority associated withthe data to be utilized during times of transmission congestion.

SUMMARY

In accordance with exemplary embodiments, the above and other problemsare solved by providing an apparatus and method for prioritizingcommunications between devices. According to one aspect, an interfacedevice for providing communications between at least one source deviceand at least one destination device comprises an input, logic, and anoutput. The input of the interface device receives data in at least afirst format from the source device. The logic identifies thedestination device for receiving the data. The logic then identifies asecond format compatible with the identified destination device andtranslates the data from the first format to the second format.Transmission of the translated data is then prioritized by the logicbased on characteristics of the translated data. The characteristics ofthe translated data may be the format of the translated data, a serviceplan associated with the destination device, or a service planassociated with the source device. The translated data is thentransmitted to the identified destination device via the output.

According to other aspects, an interface device for providingcommunications between at least one source device and a destinationdevice comprises an input, logic, and an output. The input receives datain at least a first format from the source device. The logic identifiesthe destination device for receiving the data and identifies a secondformat and a third format compatible with the identified destinationdevice. The data is then translated by the logic from the first formatto the second and third formats and transmitted to the destinationdevice. The logic prioritizes the transmission of the translated data inthe second format and in the third format from the output to theidentified destination device based on characteristics of the translateddata. The characteristics of the translated data may include the formatof the translated data, a service plan associated with the sourcedevice, or a service plan associated with the destination device.

According to further aspects, a method for providing communicationsbetween one or more source devices and one or more destination devicesis provided. Data in a first format is received from the source device.The destination device for receiving the data is identified from the oneor more destination devices. A second format compatible with thedestination device is identified, and the data is translated from thefirst format to the second format. Transmission of the translated datato the destination device is prioritized based on characteristics of thetranslated data. The characteristics of the translated data may includethe format of the translated data, a service plan associated with thesource device, or a service plan associated with the destination device.In an embodiment, the translated data is then transmitted to thedestination device.

The above-described aspects of the exemplary embodiments may also beimplemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, acomputing system, an apparatus, or as an article of manufacture such asa computer program product or computer-readable medium. The computerprogram product may be a computer storage media readable by a computersystem and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing acomputer process. The computer program product may also be a propagatedsignal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding acomputer program of instructions for executing a computer process.

These and various other features as well as advantages, whichcharacterize the exemplary embodiments, will be apparent from a readingof the following detailed description and a review of the associateddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the exemplary embodiments can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the exemplary embodiments. Moreover, inthe drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional POTS connection to atelephone company through a network interface device;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one illustrative embodiment of thesystem for interfacing POTS devices with cellular networks;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing one illustrative embodiment of theinterface of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing one illustrative embodiment of thehardware within the interface of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing one illustrative embodiment of the methodfor interfacing POTS devices with cellular networks;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flowcharts showing one illustrative embodiment ofthe method associated with the conversion of cellular network compatiblesignals to POTS compatible signals;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing another illustrative embodimentof the method associated with the conversion of cellular networkcompatible signals to POTS compatible signals;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing several steps associated with theconversion of POTS compatible signals to cellular network compatiblesignals;

FIGS. 9 through 12 are flowcharts showing several illustrativeembodiments of the method associated with the conversion of POTScompatible signals to cellular network compatible signals;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an alternative illustrativeembodiment of the interface device;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an illustrative embodiment of the methodand computer-readable medium associated with providing bi-directionalcommunications between a first device and a second device;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an illustrative embodiment of the methodand computer-readable medium associated with interfacing devices withcommunications networks; and

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an illustrative embodiment of the methodassociated with prioritizing communications between devices andcommunications networks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the description. While severalillustrative embodiments will be described in connection with thesedrawings, there is no intent to limit it to the illustrative embodimentor illustrative embodiments disclosed therein. On the contrary, theintent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalentsincluded within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as defined bythe claims.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional POTS connection to aPSTN 110 through a Network Interface Device (NID) 140. Since suchconnections are well known, only a cursory discussion is presented here.As shown in FIG. 1, several POTS devices 140, 150 occupy a location 120(e.g., home, business, etc.). Each POTS device 140, 150 is connected tothe NID 140 by two-conductor pair wires 130 b, 130 c, also known as POTSpairs, or twisted pairs. The NID 140 serves as the interface between thePOTS devices 140, 150 and the PSTN 110, wherein the NID 140 is connectedto the PSTN 110 through at least a two-conductor pair 130 a or landline130 a. As evident from FIG. 1, if the landline 130 a is severed, or ifthe landline 130 a is unavailable due to geographical limitations, thenthe POTS devices 140, 150 within the location 120 have no connection tothe PSTN 110.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one illustrative embodiment of asystem for interfacing POTS devices 140, 150 with cellular networks. Asshown in FIG. 2, one or more POTS devices 140, 150 occupy a location120. However, unlike FIG. 1, the POTS devices 140, 150 in FIG. 2 areconfigured to communicate with at least one cellular tower 250 throughan interface device 240, thereby permitting connection between the POTSdevices 140, 150 and a cellular network. In this sense, the POTS devices140, 150 are connected to the interface device 240, rather than an NID140 (FIG. 1), by two-conductor pair wires 130 d, 130 e. Since theinterface device 240 is a bridge between the POTS devices 140, 150 andthe cellular network, the interface device 240 is configured to receivePOTS compatible signals from the POTS devices 140, 150 and convert thePOTS compatible signals to cellular network compatible signals, whichare transmitted from the interface device 240 to the cellular tower 250.Additionally, the interface device 240 is configured to receive cellularnetwork compatible signals from the cellular tower 250 and convert thecellular network compatible signals to POTS compatible signals, whichare then forwarded to the POTS devices 140, 150 for use within thelocation 120. While a specific PSTN network is not shown in FIG. 2, itwill be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art that the cellulartower 250 may be connected to a PSTN network, thereby permittingcommunication with other PSTN devices.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing, in greater detail, a preferredillustrative embodiment of the interface device 240 of FIG. 2. In thepreferred illustrative embodiment, the cellular network compatiblesignals are transmitted and received at the interface device 240 by acellular telephone 305 while the POTS compatible signals are transmittedand received at the interface device 240 through a POTS interface 380,such as an RJ11 interface 380. Thus, in the preferred illustrativeembodiment, the interface device 240 comprises a cellular phone dockingstation 310 that is configured to interface with the cellular telephone305, thereby establishing a communications link with the cellulartelephone 305. The cellular phone docking station 310 may also have atuned antenna 320 that is configured to improve transmission andreception by the cellular telephone 305, thereby providing a more robustconnection to the cellular network through the cellular tower 250 (FIG.2). The tuned antenna 320 may be coupled to a cellular telephone antenna315 in a non-destructive, non-contact, or capacitative manner, forexample, using capacitative coupling 325, as shown in FIG. 3. Inaddition to interfacing with a cellular telephone 305 through one of avariety of conventional interfaces (not shown), the cellular phonedocking station 310 is configured to receive signaling data throughsignaling line 355, which may include commands associated with outgoingtelephone calls. Thus, in one illustrative embodiment, the signalingdata on signaling line 355 may be indicative of a telephone number.

The received signaling data on signaling line 355 is conveyed to thecellular telephone 305 by the cellular phone docking station 310,thereby permitting control over certain operations of the cellulartelephone 305 using the signaling data on signaling line 355. Inconveying the signaling data on signaling line 355, the cellular phonedocking station 305 may modify the signaling data on signaling line 355appropriately (e.g., amplify, attenuate, reformat, etc.), or,alternatively, the cellular phone docking station 305 may relay thesignaling data on signaling line 355 without modification. Regardless ofwhether or not the signaling data on signaling line 355 is modified,several aspects of the conveyed signal are discussed below, in greaterdetail, with reference to other components 350 associated with theinterface device 240. Although the term line is used to describe variousnon-limiting embodiments, one skilled in the art will be aware that insome embodiments a line carrying signals may be a path on a separatecommunication media from other signals while the line carrying signalsin other embodiments may be a path on a communications media into whichmany different signals are multiplexed using various multiplexingtechniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, inother embodiments, the signals may be carried by wireless communicationmedia.

In addition to the cellular phone docking station 310, the interfacedevice 240 comprises an interface controller 370, an audio relay 365, atone generator 375, and a power supply 335. The audio relay 365 isconfigured to exchange analog-audio signals 345 between the POTS devices140, 150 (FIG. 2) and the cellular phone docking station 310. In thissense, for incoming analog-audio signals 345 (i.e., audio from thecellular telephone 305 to the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2), the audiorelay 365 receives analog-audio signals 345 from the cellular phonedocking station 310 and transmits the analog-audio signals 345 to thePOTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) through the POTS interface (e.g., RJ11interface) 380. Similarly, for outgoing analog-audio signals 345 (i.e.,audio from the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) to the cellular telephone305), the analog audio signals 345 are received by the audio relay 365through the POTS interface 380 and transmitted to the cellular phonedocking station 310. Thus, the audio relay 365 provides a bi-directionalcommunication link for the analog-audio signals 345 between the POTSdevices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) and the cellular phone docking station 310. Ina preferred illustrative embodiment, the audio relay 365 is alsoconfigured to either amplify or attenuate the analog-audio signals 345in response to audio-control signals 385 generated by the interfacecontroller 370. Thus, the behavior of the audio relay 365 is governed bythe interface controller 370, which is discussed in greater detailbelow.

The tone generator 375 is configured to generate certain tones that areused by the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2). For example, when there isan incoming telephone call, the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) “ring” toindicate the presence of the incoming telephone call. The tone generator375, in such instances, is configured to generate a ring tone, which isthen transmitted to the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) through the POTSinterface 380. The transmitted ring tone indicates to the POTS devices140, 150 (FIG. 2) that they should “ring,” thereby notifying the user ofthe incoming telephone call. The ring tone is generated in response to aring enable signal on ring enable line 395, which is discussed belowwith reference to the interface controller 370.

In another example, when a user picks up a POTS telephone 140 (FIG. 2),a dial-tone is produced at the POTS telephone 140 (FIG. 2). The tonegenerator 375 is configured to generate the dial tone and transmit thegenerated dial tone to the POTS telephone 140 (FIG. 2). The dial tone isgenerated in response to a dial enable signal on dial enable line 390,which is also discussed below with reference to the interface controller370.

The power supply 335 is configured to provide the components of theinterface device 240 with the requisite power. In this sense, the powersupply 335 is connected to an external power supply 330 from which itreceives external power. The external power is converted by the powersupply 335 to a DC voltage, which is used to power the cellular phonedocking station 310, the tone generator 375, the interface controller370, and any other device in the interface device 240 that may bepowered by a DC source.

The interface controller 370 is configured to control the behavior ofthe audio relay 365, the tone generator 375, and the cellular phonedocking station 310 during the conversion of POTS compatible signals tocellular network compatible signals, and vice versa. Thus, when anoutgoing telephone call is placed by one of the POTS devices 140, 150(FIG. 2), the interface controller 370 receives the dialed numbers andconverts the dialed numbers to a digital command. The digital command istransmitted as signaling data on signaling line 355 from the interfacecontroller 370 to the cellular phone docking station 310, which, inturn, transmits the signaling data on signaling line 355 to the cellulartelephone 305. The signaling data, therefore, 355 instructs the cellulartelephone 305 to dial the number. In one illustrative embodiment, whenthe number has been dialed and the called party picks up the phone, thecellular telephone 305 detects the connection and conveys ananalog-audio signal 345 to the audio relay 365. In this illustrativeembodiment, the audio relay 365 subsequently indicates to the interfacecontroller 370 that the call is connected, and the interface controller370 generates an audio-control signal 385, thereby enablingbi-directional audio communication of analog-audio signals 345 (i.e.,talking between the connected parties) through the audio relay 365. Ifthe party on the POTS telephone 140 (FIG. 2) disconnects (i.e., hangs upthe phone), then the disconnect is detected by the interface controller370 through the POTS interface 380. In this illustrative embodiment, theinterface controller 370 generates another audio-control signal 385 inresponse to the disconnect, thereby disabling the audio relay 365 andterminating the bi-directional audio communication between the POTStelephone 140 (FIG. 2) and the cellular telephone 305. The interfacecontroller 370 further generates, in response to the disconnect,signaling data on signaling line 355, which instructs the cellulartelephone 305 to stop transmission and reception. If, on the other hand,the cellular telephone 305 disconnects, then this is detected by theaudio relay 365 in one illustrative embodiment. The audio relay 365, inturn, transmits the disconnect information to the interface controller370, and the interface controller 370 subsequently generates theaudio-control signal 385 to disable the audio relay 365.

In another illustrative embodiment, information relating to theconnected call is transmitted to the interface controller 370 assignaling data on signaling line 355, rather than as an analog-audiosignal 345. In this illustrative embodiment, the cellular telephone 305generates signaling data on signaling line 355 when the connection isestablished. The signaling data on signaling line 355 is received by theinterface controller 370, which generates an audio-control signal 385 inresponse to the received signaling data on signaling line 355. Theaudio-control signal 385 enables the audio relay 365, thereby permittingbi-directional audio communication between the POTS telephone 140 (FIG.2) and the cellular telephone 305. If the party on the POTS telephone140 (FIG. 2) disconnects (i.e., hangs up the phone), then the disconnectis detected by the interface controller 370 through the POTS interface380. The interface controller 370 subsequently generates anaudio-control signal 385 to disable the audio relay 365, therebyterminating the bi-directional audio communication between the POTStelephone 140 (FIG. 2) and the cellular telephone 305. If, however, thecellular telephone 305 disconnects, then the cellular telephone 305, inthis illustrative embodiment, generates signaling data on signaling line355 indicative of the disconnected call. The generated signaling data onsignaling line 355 is transmitted to the interface controller 370, whichsubsequently generates an audio-control signal 385 to disable the audiorelay 365.

In the case of an incoming telephone call, the cellular telephone 305detects the incoming telephone call and conveys this information to theinterface controller 370. In one illustrative embodiment, theinformation is conveyed to the interface controller 370 through theaudio relay 365. Thus, in this illustrative embodiment, the incomingtelephone call generates an analog-audio signal 345 at the cellulartelephone 305. The analog-audio signal 345 is transmitted from thecellular telephone 305 to the audio relay 365 through the cellular phonedocking station 310, and the audio relay 365 then indicates to theinterface controller 370 that there is an incoming call. The interfacecontroller 370 receives this information and generates a ring enablesignal on ring enable line 395. The ring enable signal on ring enableline 395 is received by the tone generator 375, which generates the ringtone in response to the ring enable signal on ring enable line 395. Thering tone makes the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) “ring.” When one ofthe POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) is picked up and a connection isestablished, the interface controller 370 detects the established calland generates signaling data on signaling line 355, which indicates tothe cellular telephone 305 that the connection is established.Additionally, the interface controller 370 generates an audio-controlsignal 385, which enables the audio relay 365 for bi-directional audiocommunication between the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) and the cellulartelephone 305. When the call ends, the system disconnects as describedabove.

In another illustrative embodiment, the information is conveyed to theinterface controller 370 through signaling data on signaling line 355.Thus, in this illustrative embodiment, when the cellular telephone 305detects an incoming telephone call, it generates signaling data onsignaling line 355. The signaling data on signaling line 355 istransmitted to the interface controller 370, thereby indicating thatthere is an incoming call. The interface controller 370 receives thisinformation and generates a ring enable signal on ring enable line 395.The ring enable signal on ring enable line 395 is received by the tonegenerator 375, which generates the ring tone in response to the ringenable signal on ring enable line 395. The tone makes the POTS devices140, 150 (FIG. 2) “ring.” When one of the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2)is picked up and a connection is established, the interface controller370 detects the established call and generates signaling data onsignaling line 355, which indicates to the cellular telephone 305 thatthe connection is established. Additionally, the interface controller370 generates an audio-control signal 385, which enables the audio relay365 for bi-directional audio communication between the POTS device 140,150 (FIG. 2) and the cellular telephone 305. When the call ends, thesystem disconnects as described above.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the interface controller 370 of FIG. 3in greater detail. The interface controller 370 is shown in FIG. 4 ascomprising a processor 410, Random-Access Memory (RAM) 460, Read-OnlyMemory (ROM) 440, Static-Random-Access Memory (SRAM) 450, anoff-hook/pulse sensor 430, and a Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF)decoder 420. The ROM 440 is configured to store the instructions thatrun the interface controller 370. In this sense, the ROM 440 isconfigured to store the program that controls the behavior of theinterface controller 370, thereby allowing the interface controller 370to convert POTS compatible signals to cellular network compatiblesignals, and vice versa. The SRAM 450 is adapted to store configurationinformation, such as whether the system is amenable to 10-digit dialingor 7-digit dialing, international calling protocols, etc. Thus, the SRAM450 may be adapted differently for systems that are used in differentgeographical areas, or systems that use different calling protocols. TheRAM 460 is configured to store temporary data during the running of theprogram by the processor 410. The processor is configured to control theoperation of the off-hook/pulse sensor 430, the DTMF decoder 420, thetone generator 375, and the audio relay 365 in accordance with theinstructions stored in ROM 440. Additionally, the processor 410 isconfigured to generate signaling data on signaling line 355, which mayinstruct the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) to dial a number,disconnect a call, etc. Several of these functions are discussed indetail below with reference to the off-hook/pulse sensor 430 and theDTMF decoder 420.

The off-hook/pulse sensor 430 is configured to detect when any of thePOTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) are off-hook and generate an off-hooksignal 435 when a POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) is detected as beingoff-hook. In this sense, the off-hook/pulse sensor 430 is connected tothe POTS interface 380 (FIG. 3) through the two-conductor pair wires 130g. Thus, when any of the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) connected to thetwo-conductor pair 130 go off-hook, the off-hook is detected by theoff-hook/pulse sensor 430, which is also connected to the two-conductorpair 130. The off-hook/pulse sensor 430 generates an off-hook signal 435after detecting that a POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) is off-hook, andsubsequently transmits the off-hook signal 435 to the processor 410. Ifthe POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) is receiving an incoming call, thenthe off-hook signal 435 indicates that the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2)has “picked up” the incoming call, thereby alerting the processor 410that the processor 410 should establish a bi-directional audioconnection between the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) and the POTSdevice 140, 150 (FIG. 2). If, on the other hand, the POTS device 140,150 (FIG. 2) is placing an outgoing call, then the off-hook signal 435alerts the processor 410 that a phone number will soon follow. In eitherevent, the off-hook/pulse sensor 430 transmits the off-hook signal 435to the processor 410, which, in turn, generates signaling data onsignaling line 355 indicative of the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) beingoff-hook. The signaling data on signaling line 355 is then conveyed,either with or without modification, to the cellular telephone 305through the cellular phone docking station 310.

The off-hook/pulse sensor 430 is further configured to detect dialingfrom POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) that are configured for pulsedialing. Since pulse dialing emulates rapid sequential off-hook signals,the off-hook/pulse sensor 430 receives pulses (i.e., the rapidsequential off-hook signals) and produces a sequence of off-hook signals435 or pulse-dialing signals. The sequence of off-hook signals 435 isrelayed to the processor 410, which converts the sequence of off-hooksignals into signaling data on signaling line 355 that is indicative ofthe dialed number. The signaling data on signaling line 355 istransmitted from the processor 410 to the cellular telephone 305 throughthe cellular phone docking station 310. The cellular telephone 305,after receiving the signaling data on signaling line 355, dials thenumber indicated by the signaling data on signaling line 355, therebypermitting phone calls by the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) through thecellular network. In one illustrative embodiment, the numbers dialed bythe POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) are stored in RAM 460, and, once apredetermined number of dialed numbers has been stored, the processor410 conveys the stored numbers and a “send” command to the cellulartelephone. In other words, upon receiving enough digits to dial atelephone number, as indicated by the configuration information in SRAM450, the processor 410 commands the cellular telephone 305 to dial theoutgoing number, thereby connecting a call from the POTS device 140, 150(FIG. 2) through the cellular network. In another illustrativeembodiment, the RAM stores numbers as they are dialed by the POTSdevices 140, 150 (FIG. 2). If, during dialing, the processor 410 detectsa delay or a pause, then the processor 410 presumes that all of thedigits of the telephone number have been dialed. Thus, the processor 410commands the cellular telephone 305 to dial the outgoing number, therebyconnecting the call from the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) through thecellular network.

The DTMF decoder 420 is configured to detect dialing from POTS devices140, 150 (FIG. 2) that are configured for DTMF or “tone” dialing. TheDTMF decoder 420 receives a tone, which represent a number, through thetwo-conductor pair 130 n. After receiving the tone, the DTMF decoder 420generates a DTMF-dialing signal 425 that is indicative of the numberthat was dialed. The DTMF-dialing signal 425 is then transmitted to theprocessor 410, which converts the DTMF-dialing signal 425 into signalingdata on signaling line 355 that is indicative of the number that wasdialed. The signaling data on signaling line 355 is transmitted from theprocessor 410 to the cellular telephone 305 through the cellular phonedocking station 310. The cellular telephone 305 subsequently dials thenumber indicated by the signaling data on signaling line 355, therebyallowing the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) to make a call using thecellular network.

It can be seen, from FIGS. 2 through 4, that the various illustrativeembodiments of the system will permit the interfacing of POTS devices140, 150 (FIG. 2) with a cellular network. Specifically, in oneillustrative embodiment, POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) are interfacedwith the cellular network through a cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3),which is attached to the interface device 240 at a cellular phonedocking station 310. In addition to the various systems, as describedabove, another illustrative embodiment of the invention may be seen as amethod for interfacing POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) with cellularnetworks. Several illustrative embodiments of the method are describedwith reference to FIGS. 5 through 12 below.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing one illustrative embodiment of the methodfor interfacing POTS devices with cellular networks. In a broad sense,once a POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) has been coupled to a cellulartelephone 305 (FIG. 3) through an interface device 240 (FIG. 2), thisillustrative embodiment may be seen as converting, in step 530, cellularnetwork compatible signals from the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) toPOTS compatible signals, and converting, in step 540, POTS compatiblesignals from the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) to cellular networkcompatible signals. In a preferred illustrative embodiment, theconverting steps 530, 540 are performed at the interface device 240.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flowcharts showing one illustrative embodiment ofthe method associated with the conversion 530 of cellular networkcompatible signals to POTS compatible signals. As an initial matter, thecellular network compatible signals are received through the cellulartelephone 305 (FIG. 3). Thus, in step 610, the system receives anincoming call through the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3). Once theincoming call is received 610, the system further receives, in step 620,an analog-audio signal 345 (FIG. 3) indicative of the incoming call fromthe cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3). The received analog-audio signal345 (FIG. 3) is then transmitted, in step 630, to an interfacecontroller 370 (FIG. 3). The interface controller 370 (FIG. 3)generates, in step 640, a ring tone in response to receiving theanalog-audio signal 345 (FIG. 3). In a preferred illustrativeembodiment, the ring tone is generated 640 by a tone generator 375 (FIG.3). The generated 640 ring tone is conveyed, in step 650, to the POTSdevices 140, 150 (FIG. 2), and, when the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2)is “picked up,” an off-hook signal is generated, in step 660, andconveyed, in step 670, to the interface controller 370 (FIG. 3). Thistriggers the interface controller 370 (FIG. 3) to activate the audiorelay 365 (FIG. 3), and analog-audio signals 345 (FIG. 3) are exchanged,in step 680, between the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2) and the cellulartelephone 305 (FIG. 3) through the audio relay 365 (FIG. 3). Thus, inthis illustrative embodiment, once the incoming call is connectedbetween the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) and the POTS device 140, 150(FIG. 2), the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) freely communicates throughthe cellular network.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing another illustrative embodimentof the method associated with the conversion 530 of cellular networkcompatible signals to POTS compatible signals. Similar to FIGS. 7A and7B, the cellular network compatible signals here are received throughthe cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3). Thus, in step 710, the systemreceives an incoming call through the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3).However, unlike the illustrative embodiment of FIGS. 6A and 6B, once theincoming call is received 710, the system generates, in step 720,signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3) indicative of the incomingcall from the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3). The generated 720signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3) is then conveyed, in step730, to an interface controller 370 (FIG. 3). The interface controller370 (FIG. 3) generates, in step 740, a ring tone in response tosignaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3). In a preferredillustrative embodiment, the ring tone is generated 740 by a tonegenerator 375 (FIG. 3). The generated 740 ring tone is conveyed, in step750, to the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2), and, when the POTS device140, 150 (FIG. 2) is “picked up,” an off-hook signal is generated, instep 760, and conveyed, in step 770, to the interface controller 370(FIG. 3). This triggers the interface controller 370 (FIG. 3) toactivate the audio relay 365 (FIG. 3), and analog-audio signals 345(FIG. 3) are exchanged, in step 780, between the POTS devices 140, 150(FIG. 2) and the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) through the audio relay365 (FIG. 3). Thus, in this illustrative embodiment, once the incomingcall is connected between the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) and thePOTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2), the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) freelycommunicates through the cellular network.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing several steps associated with theconversion 540 of POTS compatible signals to cellular network compatiblesignals. As described above, the interface device 240 (FIG. 2) isconfigured to allow outgoing calls using either pulse-dialing or “tone”dialing. The method steps associated with pulse-dialing are differentfrom the method steps associated with “tone” dialing. However,regardless of which type of dialing is employed, both methods shareseveral of the initial steps. FIG. 8 describes the shared initial stepsassociated with an outgoing call from a POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2)through the cellular network. When a user “picks up” the phone 140 (FIG.2) to place an outgoing call, the system detects, in step 810, anoff-hook signal at the off-hook/pulse detector 430 (FIG. 4). The systemthen generates, in step 820, a dial tone in response to the detectedoff-hook signal. In an illustrative embodiment, the dial tone isgenerated 820 by the tone generator 375 (FIG. 3). The generated 820 dialtone is conveyed, in step 830, to the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2)(i.e., to the person that is placing the outgoing call) to indicate thatthe system is ready for dialing. In addition to generating 820 the dialtone, the system further generates, in step 840, signaling data onsignaling line 355 (FIG. 3) that is indicative of the POTS device 140,150 (FIG. 2) being off-hook. The generated 840 signaling data onsignaling line 355 (FIG. 3) is then conveyed, in step 850, to thecellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3), either with or without modification,through the cellular phone docking station 310 (FIG. 3), therebyindicating to the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) that a user has“picked up” the phone 140 (FIG. 2), and that an outgoing call may beinitiated. Thus, in one illustrative embodiment, once the cellular phone305 (FIG. 3) receives the indication that the user has “picked up” thephone 140 (FIG. 2), the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) blocks incomingcalls. Hence, at this point, the system is ready for either pulsedialing or “tone” dialing. In another illustrative embodiment, the stepof generating 840 signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3) may becompletely.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing several illustrative embodimentsof the method associated with pulse dialing. As shown in FIG. 9, in oneillustrative embodiment, the off-hook/pulse sensor 430 (FIG. 4) detects,in step 910, a pulse-dialing signal that is indicative of a pulse-dialednumber. In response to the pulse-dialing signal, the processor 410 (FIG.4) generates, in step 920, signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3)that is indicative of the pulse-dialed number and a “send” command. Thesignaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3) is conveyed, in step 930,to the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3), either with or withoutmodification (e.g., amplification or attenuation), by the processor 410(FIG. 4) through the cellular phone docking station 310 (FIG. 3).

In one illustrative embodiment, the numbers dialed by the POTS devices140, 150 (FIG. 2) are stored in RAM 460, and, once a predeterminednumber of dialed numbers has been stored, the processor 410 (FIG. 4)conveys the stored numbers and a “send” command to the cellulartelephone 305 (FIG. 3). In other words, upon receiving enough digits todial a telephone number, as indicated by the configuration informationin SRAM 450 (FIG. 4), the processor 410 (FIG. 4) commands the cellulartelephone 305 (FIG. 3) to dial the outgoing number, thereby connecting acall from the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) through the cellularnetwork. In another illustrative embodiment, the RAM 460 (FIG. 4) storesnumbers as they are dialed by the POTS devices 140, 150 (FIG. 2). If,during dialing, the processor 410 (FIG. 4) detects a delay or a pause,then the processor 410 (FIG. 4) presumes that all of the digits of thetelephone number have been dialed. Thus, the processor 410 (FIG. 4)commands the cellular telephone 305 to dial the outgoing number, therebyconnecting the call from the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) through thecellular network. The command instructs the cellular telephone 305 (FIG.3) to call the number that has been conveyed to the cellular telephone305 (FIG. 3) by the signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3).

When the called party “picks up” the phone, the system detects, in step940, an analog-audio signal 345 (FIG. 3) that is indicative of theconnected call. At this point, the processor 410 (FIG. 4) enables theaudio relay 365 (FIG. 3), and analog-audio signals 345 (FIG. 3) areexchanged, in step 950, between the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) andthe cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3). Thus, once the outgoing call isconnected between the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) and the POTSdevice 140, 150 (FIG. 2), the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) freelycommunicates through the cellular network.

In another illustrative embodiment, rather than waiting for the calledparty to “pick up” the phone, the system detects an analog-audio signal345 (FIG. 3) that is indicative of a called-party telephone ringing or acalled-party telephone being “busy.” At this point, the processor 410(FIG. 4) enables the audio relay 365 (FIG. 3), and analog-audio signals345 (FIG. 3) are exchanged between the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) andthe cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3). Thus, once a called-party telephoneringing or a called-party telephone “busy” signal is detected, thecellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) and the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2)are connected through the cellular network.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing, in greater detail, another illustrativeembodiment of the method associated with pulse dialing. As shown in FIG.10, the off-hook/pulse sensor 430 (FIG. 4) detects, in step 910, apulse-dialing signal that is indicative of a pulse-dialed number. Inresponse to the pulse-dialing signal, the processor 410 (FIG. 4)generates, in step 920, signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3)that is indicative of the pulse-dialed number. The signaling data onsignaling line 355 (FIG. 3) is conveyed, in step 930, to the cellulartelephone 305 (FIG. 3), either with or without modification, by theprocessor 410 (FIG. 4) through the cellular phone docking station 310(FIG. 3). This instructs the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) to call thenumber that has been conveyed to the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) bythe signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3). When the called party“picks up” the phone, the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) generatessignaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3) that is indicative of theconnected call, and the processor detects, in step 1040, the signalingdata on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3). At this point, the processor 410(FIG. 4) enables the audio relay 365 (FIG. 3), and analog-audio signals345 (FIG. 3) are exchanged, in step 950, between the POTS device 140,150 (FIG. 2) and the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3). Thus, again, thePOTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) freely communicates through the cellularnetwork.

In another illustrative embodiment, rather than waiting for the calledparty to “pick up” the phone, the system detects an analog-audio signal345 (FIG. 3) that is indicative of a called-party telephone ringing or acalled-party telephone being “busy.” At this point, the processor 410(FIG. 4) enables the audio relay 365 (FIG. 3), and analog-audio signals345 (FIG. 3) are exchanged between the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) andthe cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3). Thus, once a called-party telephoneringing or a called-party telephone “busy” signal is detected, thecellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) and the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2)are connected through the cellular network.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts showing several illustrative embodimentsof the method associated with “tone” dialing. As shown in FIG. 11, inone illustrative embodiment, the DTMF decoder 420 (FIG. 4) detects, instep 1110, a DTMF signal that is indicative of a DTMF-dialed number. Inresponse to the DTMF signal, the processor 410 (FIG. 4) generates, instep 1120, signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3) that isindicative of the DTMF-dialed number. The signaling data on signalingline 355 (FIG. 3) is conveyed, in step 1130, to the cellular telephone305 (FIG. 3), either with or without modification, by the processor 410(FIG. 4) through the cellular phone docking station 310 (FIG. 3). Thisinstructs the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) to call the number thathas been conveyed to the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) by thesignaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3). When the called party“picks up” the phone, the system detects, in step 1140, an analog-audiosignal 345 (FIG. 3) that is indicative of the connected call. At thispoint, the processor 410 (FIG. 4) enables the audio relay 365 (FIG. 3),and analog-audio signals 345

(FIG. 3) are exchanged, in step 1150, between the POTS device 140, 150(FIG. 2) and the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3). Thus, once theincoming call is connected between the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3)and the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2), the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2)freely communicates through the cellular network.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing another illustrative embodiment of themethod associated with “tone” dialing. As shown in FIG. 12, the DTMFdecoder 420 (FIG. 4) detects, in step 1110, a DTMF signal that isindicative of a DTMF-dialed number. In response to the DTMF signal, theprocessor 410 (FIG. 4) generates, in step 1120, signaling data onsignaling line 355 (FIG. 3) that is indicative of the DTMF-dialednumber. The signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG. 3) is conveyed,in step 1130, to the cellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3), either with orwithout modification, by the processor 410 (FIG. 4) through the cellularphone docking station 310 (FIG. 3). This instructs the cellulartelephone 305 (FIG. 3) to call the number that has been conveyed to thecellular telephone 305 (FIG. 3) by the signaling data on signaling line355 (FIG. 3). When the called party “picks up” the phone, the cellulartelephone 305 (FIG. 3) generates signaling data on signaling line 355(FIG. 3) that is indicative of the connected call, and the processordetects, in step 1240, the signaling data on signaling line 355 (FIG.3). At this point, the processor 410 (FIG. 4) enables the audio relay365 (FIG. 3), and analog-audio signals 345 (FIG. 3) are exchanged, instep 1150, between the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2) and the cellulartelephone 305 (FIG. 3). Thus, again, the POTS device 140, 150 (FIG. 2)freely communicates through the cellular network.

While several hardware components are shown with reference to FIGS. 3and 4 to describe the interface controller 370, it will be clear to oneof ordinary skill in the art that the interface controller 370 may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.In one illustrative embodiment, the interface controller 370 (FIG. 3) isimplemented in software or firmware that is stored in a memory and thatis executed by a suitable instruction execution system. If implementedin hardware, as in FIGS. 3 and 4, the interface controller may beimplemented with any or a combination of the following technologies: adiscrete logic circuit having logic gates for implementing logicfunctions upon data signals, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit(ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, a Programmable GateArray (PGA), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a communications system 1300including an interface device 1302 that is an alternative illustrativeembodiment of the interface device 240 of FIG. 3. According to thisembodiment, the interface device 1302 provides additional functionality,allowing any number of devices and networks to communicate with anynumber of additional devices and networks. In doing so, the interfacedevice 1302 acts as a gateway for information, receiving and translatingdata between various formats for transmission over any type oftransmission medium. As used herein, data comprises audio, video, voice,text, images, rich media, and any combination thereof

Turning now to FIG. 13, the interface device 1302 providescommunications between at least one of the devices 1358 a, 1358 b and atleast one of the user devices 1322 a-1322 n. Communications providedbetween the devices 1358 a, 1358 b and the user devices 1322 a-1322 nvia the interface device 1302 may include data comprising audio, video,voice, text, images, rich media, or any combination thereof. The devices1358 a, 1358 b and the user devices 1322 a-1322 n may includecommunications devices capable of sending and receiving communicationsincluding, but not limited to, cellular telephones, VoIP phones, WI-FIphones, POTS phones, computers, Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), DigitalVideo Recorders (DVRs), and televisions. According to one embodiment,the devices 1358 a, 1358 b may be associated with communicationsnetworks 1320 a, 1320 b such that communications provided by the devicesare sent via the communications networks, and communications directed tothe devices are delivered via the communications networks. Similarly,the user devices may be associated with communications networks suchthat communications provided by the user devices are sent via thecommunications networks, and communications directed to the user devicesare delivered via the communications networks as illustrated by the userdevices 1356 a, 1356 b and the communications networks 1356 a, 1356 b inFIG. 13. The communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b and 1356 a, 1356 bmay include a wireless network such as, but not limited to, a WirelessLocal Area Network (WLAN) such as a WI-FI network, a Wireless Wide AreaNetwork (WWAN), a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) such asBLUETOOTH, a Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) such a WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) network, or a cellularnetwork. Alternatively, the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b and1356 a, 1356 b may be a wired network such as, but not limited to, awired Wide Area Network (WAN), a wired (Local Area Network) LAN such asthe Ethernet, a wired Personal Area Network (PAN), or a wiredMetropolitan Area Network (MAN).

The interface device 1302 may include at least one interface 1306 forcommunicating directly with the device 1358 b and for communicating withthe communications network 1320 b associated with the device 1358 b. Itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the interface 1306may comprise a wireline or wireless adapter for communicating with thedevice 1358 b and with the communications network 1320 b, which mayinclude one of the wired or wireless networks described above. Theinterface 1306 may conform to a variety of wired network standards forenabling communications between the interface device 1302 and the device1358 b via a wired signaling connection 1364 and between the interfacedevice and the communications network 1320 b via a wired signalingconnection 1342. The interface 1306 may include, but is not limited to,a coaxial cable interface conformed to MPEG standards, POTS standards,and Data Over Cable Service Specifications (DOCSIS). The interface 1306may also conform to Ethernet LAN standards and may include an Ethernetinterface, such as an RJ45 interface (not shown). The interface 1306 mayfurther include a twisted pair interface conformed to POTS standards,Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) protocol, and Ethernet LAN standards.Moreover, the interface 1306 may include a fiber optics interfaceconformed to Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) standards and ResilientPacket Ring standards. It will be appreciated that the interface 1306may also conform to other wired standards or protocols such as HighDefinition Multimedia Interface (HDMI).

The interface 1306 may further conform to a variety of wireless networkstandards for enabling communications between the interface device 1302and the device 1358 b via a wireless signaling connection 1366 andbetween the interface device and the communications network 1320 bassociated with the device via a wireless signaling connection 1340. Theinterface 1306 may include a cellular interface conformed to AdvancedMobile Phone System (AMPS) standards, Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) standards, and Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD)standards for enabling communications between the interface device 1302and the communications network 1320 b. The interface 1306 may alsoinclude a WI-FI interface conformed to the 802.11x family of standards(such as 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g). The interface 1306 may furtherinclude a WiMax interface conformed to the 802.16 standards. Moreover,the interface 1306 may include at least one of a satellite interfaceconformed to satellite standards or a receiver conformed to over-the-airbroadcast standards such as, but not limited to, National TelevisionSystem Committee (NTSC) standards, Phase Alternating Line (PAL)standards, and high definition standards. It will be appreciated thatthe interface 1306 may also conform to other wireless standards orprotocols such as BLUETOOTH, ZIGBEE, and Ultra Wide Band (UWB).According to various embodiments, the interface device 1302 may includeany number of interfaces 1306, each conformed to at least one of thevariety of wired and wireless network standards described above forreceiving data in a variety of formats from multiple devices andnetworks via multiple transmission media.

In an embodiment, the interface device 1302 may communicate with thedevice 1358 a and with the communications network 1320 a associated withthe device 1358 a via a relay device 1324. The relay device 1324operates as a transceiver for the interface device 1302 to transmit andreceive data to and from the device 1358 a and the communicationsnetwork 1320 a. The relay device 1324 may modify the signaling dataappropriately (e.g., amplify, attenuate, reformat, etc.), or,alternatively, the relay device 1324 may relay the signaling datawithout modification. Additionally, the relay device 1324 may be fixed,or may be portable to provide a user with a remote means for accessingdata from a network or other device via the interface device 1302.Examples of fixed relay devices include, but are not limited to, a DSLmodem, a cable modem, a set top device, and a fiber optic transceiver.Examples of portable relay devices include portable communicationsdevices such as, but not limited to, a cellular telephone, a WI-FItelephone, a VoIP telephone, a PDA, a satellite transceiver, or alaptop.

The relay device 1324 may also include a combination of a fixed deviceand a portable device. For example, the relay device 1324 may comprise acellular telephone in combination with a docking station. The dockingstation remains connected to the interface device 1302, through wired orwireless means, while the cellular telephone may be removed from thedocking station and transported with a user. In this embodiment, datareceived from the interface device 1302 at the cellular telephone may betaken with the user to be utilized at a remote location. While thecellular telephone is not docked with the docking station, communicationwould occur between the device 1358 a and the interface device 1302 aswell as between the communications network 1320 a and the interfacedevice via a direct connection or via an alternate relay device.

The device 1358 a may provide data via signals which are transmittedeither over a wireless signaling connection 1360 or over a wiredsignaling connection 1362 directly to the relay device 1324.Alternatively, the communications network 1320 a associated with thedevice 1358 a may provide data via signals which are transmitted eitherover a wireless signaling connection 1332 or over a wired signalingconnection 1336 to the relay device 1324. The data may include audio,video, voice, text, rich media, or any combination thereof. Signalsprovided by the device 1358 a over the wireless signaling connection1360 to the relay device 1324 and signals provided by the communicationsnetwork 1320 a over the wireless signaling connection 1332 to the relaydevice may be in a format compatible with a cellular network, a WI-FInetwork, a WiMax network, a BLUETOOTH network, or a satellite network.Signals provided by the device 1358 a over the wired signalingconnection 1362 to the relay device 1324 and signals provided by thecommunications network 1320 a over the wired signaling connection 1336may be in a format compatible with a DSL modem, a cable modem, a coaxialcable set top box, or a fiber optic transceiver.

Once the relay device 1324 receives data from the device 1358 a or fromthe communications network 1320 a, the relay device may transmit thedata to an interface 1304 associated with the interface device 1302 viaa signal over a wireless signaling connection 1334 or a wired signalingconnection 1338. In one embodiment, the device 1358 a and thecommunications network 1320 a may communicate both directly with theinterface device 1302 through the interface 1304 and with the interfacedevice via the relay device 1324 through the interface 1304. Theinterface 1304 may conform to a variety of wireless network standardsfor enabling communications between the interface device 1302 and therelay device 1324. The interface 1304 may include a cellular interfaceconformed to AMPS, GSM standards, and CDPD standards for enablingcommunications between the interface device 1302 and the relay device1324. The interface 1304 may also include a WI-FI interface conformed tothe 802.11x family of standards (such as 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g).The interface 1304 may further include a WiMax interface conformed tothe 802.16 standards. Moreover, the interface 1304 may include at leastone of a cordless phone interface or a proprietary wireless interface.It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the interface 1304may also conform to other wireless standards or protocols such asBLUETOOTH, ZIGBEE, and UWB.

The interface 1304 may also conform to a variety of wired networkstandards for enabling communications between the interface device 1302and the relay device 1324. The interface 1304 may include, but is notlimited to, microphone and speaker jacks, a POTS interface, a USBinterface, a FIREWIRE interface, a HDMI, an Enet interface, a coaxialcable interface, an AC power interface conformed to Consumer ElectronicBus (CEBus) standards and X.10 protocol, a telephone interface conformedto Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) standards, a fiberoptics interface, and a proprietary wired interface.

Signals provided by the relay device 1324 over the wireless signalingconnection 1334 to the interface 1304 may be in a format compatible witha cellular network, a WI-FI network, a WiMax network, a BLUETOOTHnetwork, or a proprietary wireless network. Signals provided over thewired signaling connection 1338 to the interface 1304 may be in a formatcompatible with microphone and speaker jacks, a POTS interface, a USBinterface, a FIREWIRE interface, an Enet interface, a coaxial cableinterface, an AC power interface, a telephone interface, a fiber opticsinterface, or a proprietary wired interface.

Data received at the interfaces 1304, 1306 either directly from thedevices 1358 a, 1358 b and the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b orvia the relay device 1324 is provided to an interface controller 1308via a signaling line 1316. The interface controller 1308 is similar tothe interface controller 370 of the interface device 240 described abovewith respect to FIG. 3. Once the interface controller 1308 receives datafrom the devices 1358 a, 1358 b or the communications networks 1320 a,1320 b, the interface controller 1308 identifies one or more of the userdevices 1322 a-1322 n and/or one or more of the communications networks1356 a, 1356 b to receive the data, identifies a format compatible withthe one or more receiving devices and/or receiving networks, andtranslates the current format of the data to the format compatible withthe one or more receiving devices and/or receiving networks, which isfurther discussed below. After the data is translated, the interfacecontroller 1308 provides the data to one or more of the interfaces 1326,1328, and 1330 associated with the one or more devices and or networksidentified to receive the translated data via a signaling line 1318. Forexample, if the interface controller 1308 identifies a POTS telephone asthe device to receive the translated data, then the interface controllerprovides the data via the signaling line 1318 to an interface compatiblewith POTS standards.

The interface controller 1308 is further configured to receive data fromthe user devices 1322 a-1322 n and the communications networks 1356 a,1356 b, identify one or more of the devices 1358 a, 1358 b and/or one ormore of the communications network 1320 a, 1320 b to receive the data,identify a format compatible with the one or more receiving devicesand/or receiving networks, and translate the current format of the datato the format compatible with the one or more receiving devices and/orreceiving networks. Thus, the interface controller 1308 provides abi-directional communication for all data transmitted between thedevices 1358 a, 1358 b and the user devices 1322 a-1322 n, between thedevices 1358 a, 1358 b and the communications networks 1356 a, 1356 b,between the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b and the user devices1322 a-1322 n, and between the communication networks 1320 a, 1320 b andthe communications network 1356 a, 1356 b. In an illustrativeembodiment, the interface controller 1308 is also configured to eitheramplify or attenuate the signals carrying the data transmitted betweenthe communications networks and the devices. As will be discussedfurther below, the interface device 1302 may include queues 1376, 1378,1380, 1382, and 1384 for handling data when transmission to the devices1322 a, 1322 b, 1322 n, 1358 a, and 1358 b or the communicationsnetworks 1356 a, 1356 b and 1320 a, 1320 b becomes congested. A queuemay include memory such as, but not limited to, RAM configured forbuffering data prior to transmitting the data to a device orcommunications network. In an embodiment, the queues 1376, 1378, 1380,1382, and 1384 may be included in RAM 1374 associated with the interfacecontroller 1308 or may be separate RAM associated with the interfacedevice 1302.

The interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 may transmit the data to the userdevices 1322 a-1322 n directly, as illustrated by the interface 1330 inFIG. 13, or the interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 may transmit the data tothe communications networks 1356 a, 1356 b associated with the devices1322 a, 1322 b, as illustrated by the interfaces 1326, 1328 in FIG. 13.In either case, the interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 transmit the datavia a signal over wireless signaling connections 1346, 1350, and 1354 orwired signaling connections 1344, 1348, and 1352, respectively. Inanother embodiment, one of the interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 maycommunicate the data to two or more of the devices 1322 a-1322 n and/orcommunications networks 1356 a, 1356 b.

The interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 may conform to a variety of wirelessnetwork standards for enabling communications between the interfacedevice 1302 and the devices 1322 a-1322 n or the communications networks1356 a, 1356 b. The interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 may include at leastone cellular interface conformed to AMPS, GSM standards, and CDPDstandards for enabling communications between the interface device 1302and the devices 1322 a, 1322 b, and 1322 n. The interfaces 1326, 1328,and 1330 may also include at least one WI-FI interface conformed to the802.11x family of standards (such as 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g). Theinterfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 may further include at least one WiMaxinterface conformed to the 802.16 standards. Moreover, the interfaces1326, 1328, and 1330 may include at least one of a cordless phoneinterface or a proprietary wireless interface. It will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that the interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 mayalso conform to other wireless standards or protocols such as BLUETOOTH,ZIGBEE, and UWB.

The interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 may also conform to a variety ofwired network standards for enabling communications between theinterface device 1302 and the devices 1322 a-1322 n or thecommunications networks 1356 a, 1356 b. The interfaces 1326, 1328, and1330 may include, but are not limited to, microphone and speaker jacks,a POTS interface, a USB interface, a FIREWIRE interface, a HDMI, an Enetinterface, a coaxial cable interface, an AC power interface conformed toCEBus standards and X.10 protocol, a telephone interface conformed toHomePNA standards, a fiber optics interface, and a proprietary wiredinterface.

Signals provided by the interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 over thewireless signaling connections 1346, 1350, and 1354 may be in a formatcompatible with a cellular network, a WI-FI network, a WiMax network, aBLUETOOTH network, or a proprietary wireless network. Signals providedover the wired signaling connections 1344, 1348, and 1352 may be in aformat compatible with microphone and speaker jacks, a POTS interface, aUSB interface, a FIREWIRE interface, an Enet interface, a coaxial cableinterface, an AC power interface, a telephone interface, a fiber opticsinterface, or a proprietary wired interface.

For some interfaces such as, but not limited to, POTS interfaces,functionality of the interfaces that provide service from a network to auser device is different from the functionality of the interfaces thatreceive service from the network. Interfaces that deliver service from anetwork to a user device are commonly referred to as Foreign eXchangeSubscriber (FXS) interfaces, and interfaces that receive service fromthe network are commonly referred to as Foreign eXchange Office (FXO)interfaces. In general, the FXS interfaces provide the user device dialtone, battery current, and ring voltage, and the FXO interfaces providethe network with on-hook/off-hook indications. In an embodiment, theinterfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330 are the FXS interfaces that deliver datafrom the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b to the user devices 1322a-1322 n, and the interfaces 1304, 1306 are the FXO interfaces thatreceive data from the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b.

As mentioned above, the interface controller 1308 may control thetranslation of the data received at the interface device 1302 from oneformat to another. In particular, the interface controller 1308 isconfigured to control the behavior of the relay device 1324 and anyadditional components necessary for translating data in order toeffectuate the translation of the data from one format to anotherformat. For example, as described above, for translating between POTScompatible signals and cellular network compatible signals, theinterface controller 1302 may communicate with an audio relay and a tonegenerator, and includes an off-hook/pulse sensor and a DTMF decoder. Theinterface device 1302 shares the same capabilities for translatingbetween POTS compatible signals and cellular network compatible signalsas described above with regard to the interface device 240 illustratedin FIG. 3, but the interface device 1302 also has additional translationcapabilities for translating between any number and type of othersignals. Consequently, the interface device 1302 may comprise anycomponents necessary for a given translation.

According to one embodiment, the interface controller 1308 comprises aprocessor 1372, the RAM 1374, and non-volatile memory 1368 including,but not limited to ROM and SRAM. The non-volatile memory 1368 isconfigured to store logic used by the interface controller 1308 totranslate data received at the interface device 1302. In this sense, thenon-volatile memory 1368 is configured to store the program thatcontrols the behavior of the interface controller 1308, thereby allowingthe interface controller 1308 to translate data signals from one formatto another. According to a further embodiment, the non-volatile memory1368 may be configured to store a classification and marking module 1386utilized by the interface controller 1308 to prioritize and handletransmission of data received at the interface device 1302 whentransmission of the data to the devices 1322a, 1322 b, 1322 n, 1358 a,and 1358 b or the communications networks 1356 a, 1356 b and 1320 a,1320 b becomes congested, as will be further described below.

The non-volatile memory 1368 is also adapted to store configurationinformation and may be adapted differently depending on geographicalarea and signal formats and protocols. The configuration informationstored on the non-volatile memory 1368 of the interface controller 1308may include default configuration information originally provided on theinterface device 1302. In another embodiment, the configurationinformation may include a user profile 1370 associated with one or moreof the devices 1322 a-1322 n, one or more of the communications networks1356 a, 1356 b, or a combination thereof. The user profile 1370 mayinclude user preferences established by one or more users of theinterface device 1302 regarding formats in which data is to betransmitted and received, translations to be performed on the data, thedevices and networks to send and receive the data, as well as any otherconfiguration information associated with transmitting data via theinterface device 1302. The RAM 1374 is configured to store temporarydata during the running of the program by the processor 1372, allowingthe RAM to operate as a memory buffer for times in which the data isbeing received at a rate that is faster than the interface device 1302can determine a proper recipient, translate the data, and transmit thedata to the proper recipient. The processor 1372 is configured togenerate signaling data on the signaling line 1316, which may instructthe relay device 1324 to dial a number, connect to a network, etc.

As mentioned above, the interface device 1302 contains logic within theinterface controller 1308 that is used by the interface controller totranslate data received at the interface device. The logic may includeany number and type of data translation standards. In particular, theinterface controller 1308 uses the logic to translate the data receivedat one of the interfaces 1304, 1306, 1326, 1328, 1330 of the interfacedevice 1302 from at least one format to at least one other format. Howthe data received at the interface device 1302 is translated may bebased on any one or combination of factors. According to one embodiment,the type of data translation may depend on the source and destination ofthe data. It should be understood that although the descriptioncontained herein describes the devices 1358 a, 1358 b and thecommunications networks 1320 a, 1320 b as the source devices and thesource networks, respectively, and the user devices 1322 a-1322 n andthe communications networks 1356 a, 1356 b as the destination devicesand the destination networks, respectively, embodiments contemplate datatransfer from the user devices 1322 a-1322 n and from the communicationsnetworks 1356 a, 1356 b to the devices 1358 a, 1358 b and to thecommunications networks 1320 a, 1320 b as well as bidirectionalcommunication and data transfer. As an example, data arriving at theinterface device 1302 that is directed to a POTS device would betranslated to a format compatible for transmission over the appropriatemedium associated with the POTS device.

According to another embodiment, the type of data translation may dependon default configuration information originally provided on theinterface device 1302. For example, the default configurationinformation may be provided by a service provider offering the interfacedevice 1302 to customers. In yet another embodiment, the type of datatranslations may depend on the user profile 1370 stored on the interfacedevice 1302. As discussed above, the user profile 1370 may be configuredby a user of the interface device 1302 to include user preferencesregarding formats in which data is to be transmitted and received,translations to be performed on the data, the devices and networks tosend and receive the data, as well as any other configurationinformation associated with transmitting data via the interface device1302.

When configuring the user profile 1370, the user may specify theappropriate destination device, transmission medium, and filteringoptions for data received under any variety of circumstances. Forexample, the user may configure the interface device 1302 such that allincoming rich media content is translated for transmission to anddisplay on the device 1322 b which, as discussed above, may include atelevision. The user might configure the interface device 1302 such thatonly media from specific websites be allowed to download to a device ornetwork via the interface device 1302. In doing so, the user profile1370 might include access data such as a user name and password thatwill be required from the user prior to accessing a specific type orquantity of data. The user profile 1370 may additionally containpriorities for translation and transmission when multiple data signalsand data formats are received at the interface device 1302. For example,a user may specify that audio data be given transmission priority overother types of data. The priority may be based on a specifictransmitting or receiving device, the type of transmitting or receivingdevice, the format of the data being transmitted or received, thetransmission medium of the transmitting or receiving signals, or anyother variable. As used herein, the format associated with the data mayinclude a transmission medium associated with the signal carrying thedata, a standard associated with the data, or the content of the data.

It should be understood by one skilled in the art that data translationsas discussed above may include several different types of dataconversion. First, translating data may include converting data from aformat associated with one transmission medium to another transmissionmedium. For example, audio data from an incoming telephone call may betranslated from a wireless, cellular signal to a twisted pair wiringsignal associated with POTS telephones. Next, data translation mayinclude converting data from one type to another, such as when voicedata from a telephone or network is translated into text data fordisplay on a television or other display device. For example, datatranslation may include, but is not limited to, MPEG 2 translation toMPEG 4 or the reverse, Synchronized Multimedia Interface Language (SMIL)translation to MPEG 1, or Macromedia Flash to MPEG 4.

Additionally, data translation may include content conversion orfiltering such that the substance of the data is altered. For example,rich media transmitted from one or more of the devices 1358 a, 1358 b orone or more of the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b may befiltered so as to extract only audio data for transmittal to one or moreof the user devices 1322 a-1322 n or one or more of the communicationsnetworks 1356 a, 1356 b. Translation may further include enhancing thedata, applying equalizer settings to the data, improving a poor qualitysignal carrying data based on known characteristics of the deviceproviding the data signal, degrading the data signal, or adding adigital watermark to the data to identify the device or the networkassociated with the data or the user sending the data. Translation mayfurther include adding information to the data and annotating the data.Moreover, translation may include any combination of the above types ofdata conversions.

In one embodiment, data received at the interface controller 1308 mayinclude a request for data. It should be understood that the request maybe dialed telephone numbers, an IP address associated with a network ordevice, or any other communication initiating means. When a request fordata is provided by one of the user devices 1322 a-1322 n, the devices1358 a, 1358 b, the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b, or thecommunications networks 1356 a, 1356 b, the interface controller 1308receives the request and converts the request to a digital command. Thedigital command is transmitted as signaling data either on the signalingline 1316 to one or more of the interfaces 1304, 1306 or on thesignaling line 1318 to one or more of the interfaces 1326, 1328, and1330 based on the devices and/or communications networks identified toreceive the request. Once received at one or more of the interfaces1304, 1306 or one or more of the interfaces 1326, 1328, and 1330, thesignaling data is transmitted to the destination devices and/orcommunications networks either directly or via the relay device 1324. Ifthe signaling data is transmitted to the relay device 1324, thesignaling data instructs the relay device to make the requiredconnection to the identified devices 1358 a, 1358 b and/or theidentified communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b.

When a connection is made between the device 1358 a and one or more ofthe user devices 1322 a-1322 n, between the device 1358 a and one ormore of the communications networks 1356 a, 1356 b, between thecommunications network 1320 a and one or more of the user devices1322a-1322 n, or between the communication network 1320 a and one ormore of the communications network 1356 a, 1356 b in response to arequest for data, the relay device 1324 detects the connection andconveys a signal to the interface controller 1308. In this illustrativeembodiment, in response to receiving the signal from the relay device1324, the interface controller 1308 enables bi-directional communicationof the requested data. If one of the devices and/or communicationsnetworks that requested the data disconnects, then the disconnect isdetected by the interface controller 1308. In this illustrativeembodiment, the interface controller 1308 terminates the bi-directionalcommunication by generating another signal which instructs the relaydevice 1324 to stop transmission and reception of the data. If, on theother hand, the relay device 1324 disconnects, then this is detected bythe interface controller 1308 which, in response, terminates thebi-directional communication by stopping transmission and reception ofthe data.

While hardware components are shown with reference to FIG. 13 todescribe the interface controller 370, it will be clear to one ofordinary skill in the art that the interface controller 370 may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.In one illustrative embodiment, the interface controller 1308 isimplemented in software or firmware that is stored in a memory and thatis executed by a suitable instruction execution system. If implementedin hardware, as in FIG. 13, the interface controller 1308 may beimplemented with any or a combination of the following technologiesincluding, but not limited to, a discrete logic circuit having logicgates for implementing logic functions upon data signals, an ASIC havingappropriate combinational logic gates, a PGA, a FPGA, other adaptivechip architectures, etc.

The power supply 1312 is configured to provide the components of theinterface device 1302 with the requisite power similar to the powersupply 335 discussed above in view of FIG. 3. In this sense, the powersupply 1312 is connected to an external power supply 1314 from which itreceives external power. The external power is converted by the powersupply 1312 to a DC voltage, which is used to power the components ofinterface device 1302 and optionally, the relay device 1324.

Referring now to FIG. 14, additional details regarding the operation ofthe interface device 1302 for providing communications between a firstdevice and a second device will be discussed. It should be appreciatedthat the logical operations of the various embodiments are implemented(1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modulesrunning on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logiccircuits or circuit modules within the computing system. Theimplementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performancerequirements of the computing system implementing exemplary embodiments.Accordingly, the logical operations of FIG. 14 and other flow diagramsand making up the embodiments described herein are referred to variouslyas operations, structural devices, acts or modules. It will berecognized by one skilled in the art that these operations, structuraldevices, acts and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware,in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof withoutdeviating from the spirit and scope of exemplary embodiments as recitedwithin the claims attached hereto.

The routine 1400 begins at operation 1402, where data is received in afirst format from a first device 1321. The data is received at aninterface 1304 of interface device 1302. The interface device 1302identifies a second device 1322 for receiving the data at operation1404. This identification may depend upon the user profile 1370 storedwithin the interface device 1302. Alternatively, identifying a seconddevice may comprise selecting a second device that is compatible withthe signal type or transmission medium corresponding to the datareceived at interface 1304. After identifying the second device 1322,the interface device 1302 identifies a second format compatible with thesecond device 1322 at operation 1406. Similarly, this process may bebased on the user profile 1370 or on the characteristics of the seconddevice 1322. For example, the second device may be selected based on theuser profile 1370 that instructs a POTS telephone to receive all mediareceived at interface 1304. Because the POTS telephone does not have thecapability to display video, the interface device 1302 may identify thesecond format as containing only the audio portion of the receivedmedia.

At operation 1408, the data is translated to the second format fortransmittal to the second device 1322. The data is then transmitted tothe second device 1322 at operation 1410. The communicationscapabilities of interface device 1302 are bi-directional. At operation1412, data is received in a second format from the second device 1322.This data is translated to the first format at operation 1414. Aftertransmitting the translated data to the first device 1321 at operation1416, the routine 1400 continues to operation 1418, where it ends.

Turning now to FIG. 15, an illustrative routine 1500 will be describedillustrating a process for interfacing devices with communicationsnetworks. The routine 1500 begins at operation 1502, where the interface1304 associated with the interface device 1302 receives data in a firstformat from the communications network 1320 a via the relay device 1324.As discussed above, the interface 1304 may conform to a variety ofwireless or wired network standards such that the interface may receivea variety of types of data via a variety of types of signals.

Once the data is received at the interface 1304, the routine 1500continues to operation 1504, where the data is transmitted via thesignaling line 1316 to the interface controller 1308. At operation 1506,the interface controller 1308 identifies at least one of the devices1322 a-1322 n to receive the data from the communications network 1320a. As discussed above in view of FIG. 13, the interface controller 1308may identify which of the devices 1322 a-1322 n should receive the databased on compatibility with the communications networks associated witheach of the devices, the user profile 1370 stored on the interfacedevice 1302, or instructions from the communications network 1320 a thatprovided the data as to which of the devices should receive the data.

After the interface controller 1308 identifies at least one of thedevices 1322 a-1322 n to receive the data, the routine 1500 proceeds tooperation 1508, where the interface controller 1308 identifies a secondformat compatible with the communications network associated with the atleast one device identified from the devices 1322 a-1322 n to receivethe data. The routine 1500 then proceeds to operation 1510, where theinterface controller 1308 determines whether the first format of thedata is the same as the second format compatible with the communicationsnetwork associated with the at least one device identified from thedevices 1322 a-1322 n to receive the data. If the formats are the same,then the routine 1500 proceeds to operation 1514. If the formats are notthe same, then the routine 1500 proceeds to operation 1512, where theinterface controller 1308 translates the data from the first format tothe second format compatible with the communications network associatedwith the at least one device identified from the devices 1322 a-1322 nto receive the data. The routine 1500 then proceeds to operation 1514.

At operation 1514, the interface controller 1308 transmits the data,whether translated or not, through at least one of the interfaces 1326,1328, and 1330 associated with the at least one device identified fromthe devices 1322 a-1322 n to the device identified from the devices 1322a-1322 n to receive the data via either a wireless or wired signalingconnection. As discussed above with regard to FIG. 13, the interfaces1326, 1328, and 1330 may be conformed to a variety of wired and wirelessnetwork standards so that the interfaces can transmit a variety of typesof data via a variety of types of signals. From operation 1514, theroutine 1500 continues to operation 1516, where it ends.

As discussed above, once the interface controller 1308 translates datareceived from a source device or communications network to a formatcompatible with a destination device or communications network, theinterface controller may provide the translated data to the destinationdevice or communications network via an interface associated with thedestination device or communications network. The source device orcommunications network may include the devices 1358 a, 1358 b, 1322 a,1322 b, or 1322 n or the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b, 1356 a,and 1356 b, respectively, and the destination device or communicationsnetwork may include the devices 1358 a, 1358 b, 1322 a, 1322 b, or 1322n or the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b, 1356 a, and 1356 b,respectively. The interface may include the interfaces 1304, 1306, 1326,1328, or 1330 depending on the destination device or communicationsnetwork identified to receive the translated data. At times, theinterface device 1302 may receive data faster than the interface devicecan transmit the data to destination devices or communications networks.According to one embodiment, the interface device 1302 may provideQuality of Service (QoS) features for prioritizing and transmitting thetranslated data during such times so that the translated data istransmitted to the destination device or communications network quickly,consistently, and reliably. When the amount of data received at theinterface device 1302 exceeds the speed at which the interface devicecan transmit the data to the destination devices, the interface devicecan use the QoS features to manage the congestion. In the absence ofcongestion, all data is delivered directly to the destination device orcommunications network via the associated interface 1326, 1328, 1330,1304, or 1306.

In order to provide the QoS features, when data is received at theinterface device 1302 from the source device or communications network,the interface controller 1308 of the interface device may determine apriority associated with the data in order to provide appropriatetransmission service to the data. In one embodiment, the data receivedby the interface controller 1308 may be marked with priority informationassociated with the data. The priority information may be defined by aDifferentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value in a DifferentiatedServices (DS) field associated with the data, or in an alternativeembodiment, the priority information may be defined by a Virtual LAN(VLAN) tag in a Media Access Control (MAC) header associated with thedata. It should be understood that the data may be marked with priorityinformation in any other manner for providing such information. Aservice provider or subscriber to the service provider may select DSCPvalues or VLAN tags to be associated with data received by the interfacecontroller 1308. The interface controller 1308 uses the priorityinformation defined by the DSCP values or VLAN tags to provide anappropriate transmission service corresponding to the priorityinformation. For example, data that cannot tolerate delay such as voicedata may include a DSCP value of 40 or a VLAN tag value 5, bothdesignating high priority and guaranteed service. As illustrated in FIG.13, the interface controller 1308 may access the classification andmarking module 1386 stored in the non-volatile memory 1368 to determinethe appropriate transmission service corresponding to a particular DSCPvalue, VLAN tag, or any other means that may be used to convey priorityinformation associated with data.

According to another embodiment, data received at the interface device1302 may not be marked with priority information, causing the interfacedevice to assign priority to the data. The interface controller 1308 ofthe interface device 1302 may utilize characteristics of the data todetermine the priority to be given to handling and transmitting the dataduring times of congestion. The characteristics of the data consideredby the interface device 1302 may include, but are not limited to, datatype, format of the data, source of the data, destination of the data,service plans associated with the source of the data, and service plansassociated with the destination of the data. The priority to bedesignated based on each of the data types, formats of the data, sourcesof the data, and destinations of the data may be included in theclassification and marking module 1386 stored in the non-volatile memory1368. For example, if the data to be transmitted to the destinationdevice or communications network includes voice data, the interfacecontroller 1308 may access the classification and marking module 1386and determine that voice data is associated with a highest priority toassure minimum delays. In response, the interface controller 1308 willhandle and transmit the data before transmitting data associated withother data types. Further, the interface controller 1308 may determinethe source device or communications network that transmitted the data tothe interface device 1302 from the MAC source address stored on the MACheader associated with the data. The interface controller 1308 may thenaccess the classification and marking module 1386 to determine thepriority associated with the source device or communications network orthe priority associated with a service plan associated with the sourcedevice or communications network and transmit the data to thedestination device or communications network based on the determinedpriority. In another embodiment, the interface controller 1308 mayutilize priority preferences defined in the user profile 1370 todetermine the priority to be used to handle and transmit the data. Whendata is received at the interface device 1302, the interface controller1308 may access the user profile 1370 to determine what priority shouldbe assigned to the data.

Once the interface controller 1308 has determined a priority associatedwith the data, the interface controller may send the data to the queue1376, 1378, 1380, 1382, or 1384 associated with the destination deviceor communications network identified to receive the data. As discussedabove, the queues 1376, 1378, 1380, 1382, and 1384 may be included inthe RAM 1374 associated with the interface controller 1308 or may beseparate RAM associated with the interface device 1302. The interfacedevice 1302 may utilize a First-In, First-Out (FIFO) queuing algorithmto transmit data sent to the queues 1376, 1378, 1380, 1382, and 1384.The FIFO queuing involves storing data in one of the queues 1376, 1378,1380, 1382, or 1384 when transmission to the associated destinationdevice or communications network is congested and forwarding the data inorder of arrival to the queue when the transmission to the associateddestination device or communications network is no longer congested.

According to another embodiment, each of the queues 1376, 1378, 1380,1382, and 1384 may include a plurality of queues associated withdifferent priorities that may be assigned to the data. For example, thequeue 1376 may include a high, medium, normal, and low priority queuesuch that data determined to have high priority will be sent to the highpriority queue of the queue 1376, and data determined to have a normalpriority will be sent to the normal priority queue of the queue 1376. Asdiscussed above, the priority assigned to the data may be based oneither priority information marked on the data or the prioritydetermined by the interface controller 1308 as discussed above. Theinterface device 1302 may utilize a Priority Queuing (PQ) algorithm todetermine how data in each queue of the queues 1376, 1378, 1380, 1382,and 1384 is transmitted to the destination devices or communicationsnetworks. During transmission, the PQ algorithm gives higher-priorityqueues absolute preferential treatment over lower-priority queues. Forexample, if both the high priority queue and normal priority queue ofqueue 1376 contain data to be transmitted to the destination device 1322a, the interface device 1302 will transmit all of the data in the highpriority queue to the destination device 1322 a before transmitting anyof the data in the normal priority queue to the destination device 1322a.

The interface device 1302 may further utilize a Custom Queuing (CQ)algorithm to determine how data in each queue of the queues 1376, 1378,1380, 1382, and 1384 is transmitted to the destination devices orcommunications networks. CQ assigns a specified amount of queue space toeach priority of data and then transmits the data in the queues in around-robin fashion. In another embodiment, the interface device 1302may utilize a Flow-based Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ) algorithm totransmit data in each queue of the queues 1376, 1378, 1380, 1382, and1384 to a destination device or communications network. WFQ allows eachqueue to be serviced in terms of the size of the data packets stored ineach queue. For example, if a first queue of the queue 1376 includes100-byte data packets and a second queue of the queue 1376 includes50-byte data packets, the WFQ algorithm will take two data packets fromthe second queue for every one packet from the first queue. The WFQalgorithm also takes into consideration the priority associated with thedata by weighting the data associated with higher priority with a lowerweight, causing the higher priority data to be transmitted to thedestination device or communications network more quickly. According toa further embodiment, the interface device 1302 may utilize aClass-Based Weighted Fair Queuing (CBWFQ) algorithm to transmit data ineach queue of the queues 1376, 1378, 1380, 1382, and 1384 to adestination device or communications network. CBWFQ provides minimumbandwidth classes, instead of queues, to which data is assigned based onpriority. For example, data associated with a high priority may beassigned to a class that provides transmission to the destination deviceor communications at a higher rate than a class containing dataassociated with a normal priority. Logic associated with the queuingalgorithms discussed above may be stored in the non-volatile memory 1368to be used by the interface controller 1308 to provide the queuingmethods.

In one embodiment, the interface controller 1308 of the interface device1302 may utilize the determined priority associated with data receivedat the interface device when translating the data from a formatcompatible with the source device or communications network to a formatcompatible with the destination device or communications network. Inparticular, data associated with a high priority may be translated bythe interface controller 1308 before data with a lower priority. Forexample, if data from the device 1358 a and from the device 1358 b isreceived at the interface controller 1308 substantially simultaneously,the interface controller may determine a priority associated with thedata received from the device 1358 a and a priority associated with thedata received from the device 1358 b based on one of the methodsdescribed above and then translate the data associated with the highestpriority first. Thus, if the data received from the device 1358 b isdetermined by the interface controller 1308 to have a higher prioritythan the data received from the device 1358 a, then the interfacecontroller will translate the data received from the device 1358 bbefore translating the data received from the device 1358 a.

The interface device 1302 may utilize a number of other QoS features totransmit data during times of transmission congestion. For example, ifthe interface controller 1308 of the interface device 1302 determinesthat data is being dropped because at least one of the queues 1376,1378, 1380, 1382, or 1384 is over capacity, the interface controller maycommunicate with the source devices or communications networks to reducetransmission rates of data being transmitted to the interface device1302 to slow the amount of data received at the interface device.Moreover, the interface controller 1308 may utilize Random EarlyDetection (RED) to avoid queue overflow by randomly dropping datareceived at the interface device 1302 as the queues 1376, 1378, 1380,1382, and 1384 begin to fill to capacity, causing the source devices orcommunications networks to reduce transmission rates of data beingtransmitted to the interface device. In a further embodiment, theinterface controller 1308 may utilize Weighted RED (WRED) to drop datareceived at the interface device 1302 based on priority of the data asthe queues 1376, 1378, 1380, 1382, and 1384 begin to fill to capacity.For example, if the interface controller 1308 determines that the queue1376 is approaching capacity, the interface controller will drop dataassociated with the queue 1376 having the lowest priority to preventoverflowing of the queue 1376.

The interface device 1302 may also segment data into smaller packets andinterleave high-delay data with low-delay data when the data is receivedat the interface device to alleviate congestion in transmitting the datato the destination devices or communications networks. Further, theinterface 1302 may forward data along different routes, paths, circuits,virtual circuits, or links based on QoS considerations in order toalleviate congestion in transmitting the data to the destination devicesor communications networks. Logic associated with the QoS featuresdiscussed above may be stored in the non-volatile memory 1368 to be usedby the interface controller 1308 to manage congestion in datatransmission.

According to another embodiment, the interface device 1302 may provideQoS features similar to the QoS features utilized by shared media LANssuch as, but not limited to, Token Bus, Token Ring, Fiber-DistributedData Interface (FDDI), WiMax, VLAN, 802.1v, and Resilient Packet Ring.Moreover, the interface device 1302 may provide QoS features similar tothe QoS features utilized by shared media such as, but not limited to,DOCSIS Radio Frequency Interface (RFI) version 1.1 and later versions ofDOCSIS with backward compatibility with respect to QoS functionality ofDOCSIS RFI versions 1.1 as well as WiMax. The interface device 1302 mayfurther provide QoS features of label switching technologies such as,but not limited to, X.25/X.75, frame relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode(ATM), and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS).

Referring now to FIG. 16, a routine 1600 regarding the operation of theinterface device 1302 for prioritizing communications between deviceswill be discussed. The routine 1600 begins at operation 1602, where theinterface controller 1308 receives data in a first format from a sourcedevice or communications network. As noted above, the source device orcommunications network may include the devices 1358 a, 1358 b, 1322 a,1322 b, and 1322 n or the communications networks 1320 a, 1320 b, 1356a, and 1356 b, respectively. From operation 1602, the routine 1600proceeds to operation 1604, where the interface controller 1308determines a priority associated with the data received from the sourcedevice or communications network. As discussed above, the interfacecontroller 1308 may determine a priority associated with the data basedon priority information marked on the data, characteristics of the data,or priority preferences defined in the user profile 1370. From operation1604, the routine 1600 proceeds to operation 1606, where the interfacecontroller 1308 identifies a destination device or communicationsnetwork for receiving the data. The destination device may include thedevices 1358 a, 1358 b, 1322 a, 1322 b, and 1322 n or the communicationsnetworks 1320 a, 1320 b, 1356 a, and 1356 b, respectively.

The routine 1600 proceeds from operation 1606 to operation 1608, wherethe interface controller 1308 identifies a second format associated withthe identified destination device or communications network. Fromoperation 1608, the routine 1600 proceeds to operation 1610, where theinterface controller 1308 translates the data from the first formatassociated with the source device or communications network to thesecond format associated with the identified destination device orcommunications network. The routine 1600 then proceeds to operation1612, where a determination is made whether other data is waiting to betransmitted to the identified destination device or communicationsnetwork. If a determination is made that other data is not waiting to betransmitted to the identified destination device or communicationsnetwork, then the routine 1600 proceeds to operation 1614, where thetranslated data is transmitted to the identified destination device orcommunications network. From operation 1614, the routine 1600 proceedsto operation 1616, where it ends.

If, on the other hand, at operation 1612, a determination is made thatother data is waiting to be transmitted to the identified destinationdevice, then the routine 1600 proceeds to operation 1618, where theinterface controller 1308 determines if the translated data isassociated with a higher priority than the other data waiting to betransmitted to the identified destination device or communicationsnetwork. If the interface controller 1308 determines that the translateddata is not associated with a higher priority than the other datawaiting to be transmitted to the identified destination device orcommunications network, then the routine 1600 proceeds to operation1620, where the translated data is transmitted after the other datawaiting to be transmitted is transmitted to the identified destinationdevice or communications network. From operation 1620, the routine 1600proceeds to operation 1616, where it ends. On the other hand, if theinterface controller 1308 determines that the translated data isassociated with a higher priority than the other data waiting to betransmitted to the identified destination device or communicationsnetwork, then the routine 1600 proceeds to operation 1624, where thetranslated data is transmitted to the identified destination device orcommunications network before the other data waiting to be transmittedis transmitted to the identified destination device or communicationsnetwork. From operation 1624, the routine 1600 proceeds to operation1616, where it ends.

It will be appreciated that embodiments provide an apparatus and methodfor prioritizing communications between devices. Although exemplaryembodiments have been described in language specific to computerstructural features, methodological acts and by computer readable media,it is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments defined in theappended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures,acts or media described. Therefore, the specific structural features,acts and mediums are disclosed as exemplary embodiments implementing theclaimed invention.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention.Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modificationsand changes that may be made to the exemplary embodiments withoutfollowing the example embodiments and applications illustrated anddescribed herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scopeof the exemplary embodiments, which are set forth in the followingclaims.

1. An interface device for providing communications between at least onesource device and at least one destination device, comprising: an inputfor receiving data in at least a first format from the at least onesource device; a logic configured for identifying the at least onedestination device for receiving the data, identifying a second formatcompatible with the at least one destination device, translating thedata to the second format, and assigning a priority to the dataindicating an order of transmitting the data to the at least onedestination device during a time of data congestion, wherein thepriority is based on characteristics of the data comprising at least oneof the at least one source device, a first service plan associated withthe at least one source device, or a second service plan associated withthe at least one destination device; and an output for transmitting thedata to the at least one destination device based on the priority. 2.The interface device of claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the datacomprise the format of the data.
 3. The interface device of claim 1,wherein the characteristics of the data are stored on headers associatedwith the data.
 4. The interface device of claim 3, wherein thecharacteristics of the data are stored on Virtual Local Area Network(VLAN) tags in the headers.
 5. The interface device of claim 1, furthercomprising a logic configured for performing at least one of enhancingthe data, applying equalizer settings to the data, or improving a signalcarrying the data based on known characteristics of the at least onesource device.
 6. The interface device of claim 1, further comprising alogic configured for performing at least one of degrading the signalcarrying the data or adding a digital watermark to the data.
 7. Theinterface device of claim 1, wherein translation of the data isprioritized based on characteristics of the data.
 8. An interface devicefor providing communications between at least one source device and adestination device, comprising: an input for receiving data in at leasta first format from the at least one source device; a logic configuredfor identifying the destination device for receiving the data,identifying at least a second format and a third format compatible withthe destination device, translating the data from the first format tothe second format and from the first format to the third format, andassigning a priority to the data indicating an order of transmitting thedata to the destination device during a time of data congestion, whereinthe priority is based on characteristics of the data comprising at leastone of the at least one source device, a first service plan associatedwith the at least one source device, or a second service plan associatedwith the at least one destination device; and at least one output fortransmitting the data translated in the second format and the datatranslated in the third format to the destination device based on thepriority.
 9. The interface device of claim 8, wherein thecharacteristics of the data include the format of the data.
 10. Theinterface device of claim 8, wherein the characteristics of the data arestored on headers associated with the data.
 11. The interface device ofclaim 10, wherein the characteristics of the data are stored on VirtualLocal Area Network (VLAN) tags in the headers.
 12. The interface deviceof claim 8, wherein translation of the data is prioritized based oncharacteristics of the data.
 13. A method for providing communicationsbetween at least one source device and at least one destination device,comprising: receiving data in at least a first format from the at leastone source device; identifying a destination device from the at leastone destination device for receiving the data; identifying a secondformat compatible with the destination device; translating the data tothe second format; and assigning a priority to the data indicating anorder of transmitting the data to the destination device during a timeof data congestion, wherein the priority is based on characteristics ofthe data comprising at least one of the at least one source device, afirst service plan associated with the at least one source device, or asecond service plan associated with the at least one destination device.14. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting the data inthe second format to the destination device based on the priority. 15.The method of claim 13, wherein the characteristics of the data comprisethe format of the data.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein thecharacteristics of the data are stored on Virtual Local Area Network(VLAN) tags in headers associated with the data.
 17. The method of claim13, further comprising prioritizing translation of the data based oncharacteristics of the data.